Circular-knitting machine.



R. W. SCOTT.

CIRCULAR KNITTING 111A0HI111E.

APPLICATION FILED umzs, 1:107.

1,007,494, Patented Oct. 31, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

13 .52 -50 Jo I l fz I2 I f n n n n n n n /5 1. 11111111111111 1 J6 1111111 ,2

R. W. SCOTT.

GIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

1,007,494. APPLICATION rum) 11.25. 1901. Patented Oct. 31, 1911.

8 SHEET8SHEBT 2.

R. W. SCOTT.

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 25. 1907.

8 SHEBTS-SHEET 3.

R. .W. SCOTT. omcvmn KNITTING MAGHINB.

AIPLIOATIOH mum JAN. 25, 1001.. 1,007,494, Patented 001'. 31, 1911.

R. W. SCOTT. A CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

R. w. SGOTT. CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE. APPLIOATIOH FILED 318.25, 1907.

1,007,494. Patented Oct. 31, 1911.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

R. W. SCOTT; CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 25, 1907.

Patentd Oct. 31, 1911.

8 SHEETSBEB'ET 7.

R. W. SCOTT.

Y 0111011111111 KNITTING 11101111111. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 26. 1901'.

1,007,494. Patented 01113 1911 8 BHEETSSHEET 8.

/OO I00 UNITED STATES T OFFICE.

ROBERT W. SCOTT, 0F LEEDS POINT, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO LOUIS N. D. WILLIAMS, 0F OGONTZ, PENNSYLVANIA.

CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Oct. 31, 1911.

T 0 all whom it may cmcern:

lie it known that I, ROBERT W. $0011, a citizen of the United States, residing in Leeds loinhNew Jersey, have invented certain Improvements in Circular-Knitting Machines, of which the following is a. specification.

The object of my invention isto provide a knitting machine for the rapid and economical production of stockings havin shaped, seamless legs, and also, if desire seamless heel and toe pockets.

In the accompanying drawings :-Figure l is a longitudinal sectionof suflicient of a circular knitting nmchine to illustrate my present invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is a view of the cams of the cam cylinder, developed in a flat plane; Fig. 4 is a similar view of the camsfor operating the needles of a supplementary needle carrier which is employed in connection with the needle cylinder of the mayv chine; Fi 5 is an inverted plan view of the cam rmg for operating the web holders of the machine; Fig. 6 is a View, developed in a tlatplane, of art of one of the rings which serve to ren er operative or inoperativc the needles of the supplementary needle carrier; Figs. 7 to 14, inclusive, are views illustrating the relation of the needles to one another at various stages in the 0pe'ration of the machine; Figs. 15 and 16 are views illustrating a defect which my invention has been designed to overcome; Fig. 17

is a longitudinal section of a machine in which certain modifications of some of the features of my invention have been embodied; Fig. 18 is a view of certain cams employed in said machine; Fi 19 is an exaggerated view of a. piece of produced upon a. machine made in accordance with my invention; Fig. 20 is a. view of part of the machine shown n Fig. 1, with adiiferent disposition of parts from that there represented Figs. 21,.22, and 23, aresectional views 0. arts of machines, ill-ustrating other modi cations of my invention. Fig. 24 is a. view illustrating means for operating the web holder cams, and Figs. 25 and 26 are views illustrating certain means for operating the rings or ring segments which control the su plementary needles.

In Fig. 1 of the (i i-owing, 1 represents a itted web stationery needle cylinder and. 2 the needles vertically guided therein, these needles being 0 erated b cams in a rotating cam cylin er 3 whic surrounds the lower porhem of the needle cylinder.

'Ri idly mounted upon the upper portion of t e cylinder 1 is an exterior annular needle carrier 4, which, for convenience, I calla dial, this carrierhaving needles 5, which alternate with cylinder needles, are disposed at an acute angle in respect to the latter, and are reciprocated by cams in a ring 6, the latter surrounding the dial and being driven in unison with the cam cylinder 3 in an desired manner. The means adopted or this purpose in the present instance are a circular flange 7 secured to or formed on the cam cvlinder 3 and having 'a toothedperiphery which engages a toothed wheel-8 at the lower end of a vertical shaft.

9, the "up r end of said shaft being pro vided wit 1 a toothed wheel 10 which meshes with'teeth on the periphery of a circular flange 11 formed on or secured to the annular dial cam ring 6.

In operating a machine having the two sets of needles thus disposed, narrow web of a width appropriate for the foot and ankle portions of the stocking is produced upon onesetofneedles, and wider web,suitable for the calf portion of the stocking is produced upon said needles in conjunction with those of the other set. The needles of one set may therefore, for convenience, be termed narrow web needles, and may be those of either carrier, those of the other 'set being termed wide web needles.

Inthe present instance, the narrow web needlesare those carried by the cylinder and the wide web needles are those carried by the dial, and as, in most cases, seamless heel and toe ockets will be formed upon the foot of tie stocking the cam cylinder 3 is provided with cams ep ropriate for this purpose, and is suseepti le of either continuous rotating movement for-.the produc tion of tubular web, or of reciprocating, or to-a-nd-fro movement for the production of such pockets.

There may be one dial needle for each 0 linder needle, or only one dial needle or every two, three or more cylinder needles, depending upon the number of widening at all times, and thus constitute part of the narrow web needles, the remaining dial constituting the wide web needles. In such .case the dial needles which are continuously action will, by preference, alternate with c yhindeu needlesother than those upon which the heel and toe pockets are produced.

The dial camring 6 carries the yarn feed ring 26, and rigidl mounted upon the upper portion of sai dial is an annular bed 12 for the reception and guidance of a series of radially guided web holders 13, which may extend completely around the machine or only part way around. the same,v these web holders, in the latter case, agctin "only uplon that portion of the circular "e in W ich theheel and toe pockets are r med.

In the machine shown in the rel-wing there are one-half as man needles jilijthe dial as there are in the by inder, successive dial needles alternating ,with d ssive pairs of cylinder needles, aroundgthema chine. If there is a web holder 13jfbr5emzh of the spaces between the cylinder'fneedles throughout either the entiije cylinder or part of the'sanie every altei'nateone of theseweb holders will bccupy the seine plane as one of the dial needles, in a fine gage machine, in which there is not space enough between successive cylinder needles for the rece tion and operation {of Lbcth a dial nee 1e and a web holder, side by side. As the web holders are, ,hotwever, needed only in makin the heeland toe pockets and the dial need es are only usedt 1n shapin the calf portion of the le of the stoc ing, neither will interfere wihthe proper action of the others, the dial needles being out of operation when the web holders are in action, and the latter being retracted 'so as to be out of the .way of the dial needles when the latter are to be used.

In a machine of the character shown in the drawing, only those web holders which are in the same planes as the dial needles need be put out of operation, but, for con-. venience, all of the web holders are put into and out of action, in the manner hereinafter described. Even in a machine in which the dial needles and web holders could operate s de by side, between the cylinder needles, it would be inadvisable to keep both the web holders and dial needles. in operation. at the same time, and means for renderin the web holders inoperative when the dia needles were in action Wfilllthby preference, be adopted in such a machine. surmounting the web holder ring or bed 12 is aring 14 carrying the cams for operating the web holders, this ring being operated from the dial cam ring 6 through the medium of a 1 special ring.

dog 15 whose outer end prrijects between set screws 16 carried by lugs 17 on the periphery of said cam ring 14.

The dial needles 5 are movable so as to carry their butts into and out of range of the cams of the dial ca'ln ring 6, this result being attained in any desired manner. In the machine shown in Fig. 1 it is effected by raising and lowering the needles in the grooves of the dial, said rooves bein deeper at the bottom of the dial than at the top of the same in order to permit such movement. Each dial needle has a stem or jack 18 projectin below the dial cam ring 'and engaged by t e jaws of the forked up-.

per arm of a lever 19 whose fulcrum pin 20 is carried by ln s 21 on a ring 22 secured to the bottom of t e dial, the lower arm of each lever 19 projecting radially and being acted upon by a ring 23 which is susceptible of vertical movement, whereby, when it is lifted, the'levers 19, under control of the same, will be caused to lower the stems or jacks of the needles engaged thereby so as to withdraw their butts from the range of the cams of the dial cam ring 6, reverse movement of the rin efiecting movement of th b'utts of the dia needles into range of said cams. The dial needles 5 are'introduced into action when the wider ortion of the tube is to be produced, and i all of the dial needles are to be introduced at one time but a single ring 23 will be needed in orher to operate them. It is advisable, however, in order to proplerly shape or taper the knitted tube from t e portion of least diameter to that of greatestdiameter, to introduce the dia l" needles in groups or sets and to knit a number of courses of web after the introduction of each group of the dial needles. For this reason a number of rings 23 are used and the dial needles are divided into groups, each controlled by its In the present instance there are four rings and conse uently four dif ferent groups of dial need es.

Supposing that the cylinder has one hundred and seventy-six needles and that the dial contains eighty-eight needles, or one for each ir of needles of the cylinder, said dial need es may be divided .into four rou-ps oftwenty-two needles each, the need each group being, by preference, evenly distributed throughout the dial, thus. the first grou of needles may-comprise the first, fifth, nint 1, etc., the second group may comprise the second, sixth, tenth, etc, the third les of from contact with the -the remaining needles and thus produce 35 and 36 of the or if the ring is-to control the lever arm, or deep, if the lever arm has to pass through the ring in order to be controlled by a ring outside of the same. (See Fi 6.) The rings 23 are also composed of independently operable semi-circular segments. in order that the needles around each half of the dial may be moved into or out of position to engage the dial cams when said cams are at the opposite half of the dial, whereby the presence of the cams will not interfere with the movement of the butts of the needles into or out of range of the same.

The partitions between the grooves of the needle cylinder, have their upper outer corners rounded or beveled, as shown in Figs. 8 to 14, in order to permit the loops or stitches to pass freely over the same without 1 cutting or abrading the yarn, and, to avoid burl-in" or roughening of these rouilded or beveled corners, the dial needles 5 are free same, each of said dial needles having a broad bearing uponthe beveled face of a lug or flange 25, which projects from the outer face of each partition below the top of the same, thereby providing the desired rigid bearing for the up or portion of each dial needle.

he cylinder cam ring 3, is, as shown in Fig. 3, provided wi h cams 30, 31, 32, 33, 34.,

inary character for operating the cylinder needles either inroundand round or to-andfro knitting, and with a cam 40 for throwing a certain number of the cylinder needles out of action when it is desired to form a heelor toe pocket upon a cam 41 for bringing these tem orarily retired needles into action again a ter the formation. of the said 'heel ortoe pocket has been completed, and it is also provided with lifting pickers 37 for putting out of'action successively needle after needle at each end of the fashioning set in narrowing the web, and with depressing pickers 38 for bringing these needles into operation. again successively but in reverse order for widening the web, as is usual in machines for making seamless To better insure heel and toe pockets upon a.- knitted tube.

The disposal of the dial needles at an acute angle in respect to the cylinder needles is for the purpose of preventing the trapping and cuttin of the freshly inserted yarn by the closing of the latches of the dial needles upon the same which would take place if the two sets of needles were disposed at a ri ht angle to each other with the dial nee les outside of the cylinder needles, in order to draw' stitches to the same face of the web as said cylinder needles and a plain web instead of a ribbed web. Such right-angl .d arrangement, ofthe needles is shown in ligs. 15 and offset 63 between the t 16, and on reference tothe'same it will be noted that the freshly inserted 'y'arn z is almost directly above the stitch y upon the dial needle, and there is consequently little or no space between the two in the direction a stein andlatch, as shown in lug. l6, and,

being thereb trap )ed, will be either directly severe or held so as to be incapable of movement, in which case. the strain upon the yarn will cause the same to break. When, however, the dial needles are disposed at an acuteangle in respect to the cylinder needles, this tendency to trap and sever the yarn is overcome, for the sharper the angle of the needles the more nearly the action of the dial needles approaches that of the cylinder needles, and the less tendencv is there to trap the yarn. This will be unterstood on reference to Figs. 7 to 1-1, which represent successive positions assumed by the dial and cylinder needles in the operation of the machine. a

As shown in Fig. 8 the dial needle has been fully projected so as to clear its stitch yand it is about to return, Fig. 9 showing that stage of the \return movement where the stitch 1 has be un to close the latch, and. Fig. 10 slowing the latch moved by the action of the stitch until it is at a right angle to the'stem of the needle, this position corresponding to that shown in Fig. 15, The fresh yarn :0, however, instead of being in position to contact with the latch is consii'lerably in advance of the same, so that, by the time the latch is fully closed, as in Fig. 11, the fresh varn is well up into the throat of the needle. and all risk of said yarn being trapped between the latch and stem of the needle is-ctlcetually obviated. this result it is advisable to close the latch of each dial needle as soon as possible after the new yarn has been laid across said needle, in order that the closing of the latchwill be completed while the yarn is still high upon the needle, for, as shown in Fig. 7, the course of the new yarn is a constantly descendin one, and the longer the closing of the atch is delayed, the'more likelihood there is for it to be trapped by' the closing latch. .In order therefore that the latch-closing portion (31 of the draft cam 60 of: the dial cam ring 6 may be advanced as much as ossihle in respect to the knocking-over portion or nose 62 of said cam, I provide the cam with an twoinclines (i1 and 62-, (see Fig. 4) whereby, while still preserving the proper angle of draft for the dial needles I advance the earlier portion of said draft in respect to the later portion to the extent of the offset 63, as compared with a. cam having a uniform draft or single 'incline. v

The offset 63 may, as shown, be such as to cause a dwell in t 1e movement of the needles or it may be merely a lessening of the ang e of the cam so as to effect a decrease in the speed of such movement without actually arresting the same but in either case it results in a non-uniform draft of the needles. As a still further aid in preventing trapping of the new yarn by the latches of the dial needles the latter are, flirefer; ably, so actuated as to draw their ,5 itches in advance of the cylinder needles, said dial needles acting as the primar stitch forming members, and the cylin er needlesas secondary members, and each dial needle draws'an abnormally long stitch and is then slightly retracted in ordento slacken said stitch, and supply yarn to the following cylindcr needle in its draft.

The abnormally long dial needle stitch is. shown in Fig. 13, the yarn to supply said stitch having been drawnthrorl li the hook of the followingcylinder 'nee1le, and the' outward pull ofthe yarrrbeing-cxented upon the hook or upon the u'p zger portion of the closed'lateh of said needle. The position of 'the dial and cylinder-needles after said dial needle has been sla cked ofl and the cylindcr needle has been fully retracted is shown in Figl 'l l I When thefidjdl needles 5 are in aetiomthe ,wveb holders 1 .are retracted and the butts of said webiolders travel in the outer groove 50 of the web holder cam ring 14. One half of the web holders have long butts and tho other half have short butts .and when it is dcsircd to put said web ho ('lel's into action a vertically movable cam 51 on the ring 14 is first partially depressed so as to'engage with the long butts, and, after the ram is in full engagement with said long butts, it. is further depressed so as to be in position to engage with the short butts, all of the butts being thereby directed to the innermost or iu'tive groove 52 of the rin 14, after, which another cam 53 similar to the cam {51 is depressed into operative position.

'lheopcrutive movement of the web holders is effected by a retracting earn 54, and the projecting came 51 and 53,:1nd such operation continues during the formation of a heel or toe pocket upon the knitted tube, at which time the dial needles 5 are out of action. When it is desired ,to again putthe web holders out of action'thecams 51 and 53 are raised, thus permittii H the butts ol the web holders, which'h' ave wen relrartvd by the cam 54, to continue their course in lhl' outer groove .50 of the web holder ram ring.

Any desired means for effecting the raising and lowerin of the earns 51 and 53 may be adopted, an in Fig. 24 Ihave shown for this purpose a cam bar 51, slidably mounted on the web holder cam ring 14, passing through openin s in projecting portions of the cams 51 an 53 and having two cam portions 51 and 51. -When this cam bar. is partially moved in the direction of the arrow the cam 51* serves to partially depress the cam 51, and when the cam bar is further moved the cam 51 serves to fully depress said cam 51, a final movement serving to depress the cam 53 by a succession of ste s immediately following each other. In or or to raise the cams the cam bar 51.is moved in the op osite direction by a single movement of ful extent.

When the web holders are out of action the tops of.the partitions between the cylinder needle rooves act as knocking-over bits for the stitches, but when the web holders are projected they rest upon the tops of these partitions and: net as knocking-over bits, and as they are in a higher, plane than the tops of tin? partitions correspondingly longer stitches-would be drawn in the absence of some {beans .for preventing suclta result. Oneon'ans of prevention is to lower the nqedleldylinder, and another means is to slack oil the draw-down cams of the cam rylinder, the latter l'an being adopted in the-present case, the raw-down cams 33 pu 'pose.

ted web by the web ho lers, when the latter are broug it into operation, after being tamporarily out of action, it is advisable to lift the web or support the same above the top of the cylinder, otherwise the web holders might be projected above the top course of stilches of the web: For this purpose, I provide, just below the top of the cylinder an internal ring 50, which is connected by rods-- or bars 57 to a ring 58 at the base of the cylinder, whereby, when said ring 58' is raised, there will be corresponding upward movement. of the ring 56, as shown in Fig. .20, and consequent lift of, the lnpper ortion of the knitted web above the top 0 the cylinder. The rin 58 may be raised and lowered by means similar to those employed for raising and lowering the needle cylinder lsnpporting ring shown in Letters Patent No.670,828, March 20, 1901, or by other for imparting either rotating or to-and-fro movement to the cam cylinder 3 may be similar to any of the known means new employed for this purpose. Letters Patent No. "(l-3.2308, dated November 3, 1903. being I ril d, as showing means available for the l purposi, and the Letters Patent No.774,124, datedNovember-t1, 1904, iilustrate means which may be employed for throwing the and ti l Fig. 3) being adjustable for then order to insure engagement of the knitr means available for the purpose. The means I I designed narrowing a l wide that illustration shown" in the vision for closing them, form '-nedle pickers 36 and 38 into and out of operative .position. -When the web holders extend on y part way around the machine a ring segment can, of course, be. em loye in place of the full ring'56 which have drawing. Although I have described the machine as for effecting the widening of a knitted web by introducing the dial needles it will be evident that a reverse method may be adopted without departing from the essential principles of my invention, that is to say, the 'machine may be designed for web by transferring stitches from the dial needles to the cylinder. needles. I My previous Patent,- No. 834,763, dated October 30, 1906, so fully illustrates and describes such means for eii'ecting transfer of stitches from one set of needles to another of such means in 'my present application isbelieved to be unnecessary. Vhen the shaping ofthe tube effected by introducing the dial needles,'t e latter t draw an o n loop of yarn, and these open loops ,wou d, in the absence of any proa row of eyelet holes around the knitted tube'J For this cams and permitted to ,rema:

' knitting operation needles in action.

across said loops, as 8 reason, therefore, thedial'needlmafter having firstbeenmovedso'that their buttsen- 'ga ewith the coins of the dial cam ring an afterhavingbeen permitted to remain, in engagement .withsaid cams during the formation of a single -course of the knitted web, are removed from engagement with the out of opera,- tion while one or more courses of stitchesare being formed upon the cylinder needles only, after which the dial needles are restored to the control of their cams and the proceeds with the dial By this means the sinker wales of the courses of stitches formed by the cylinder needles while the dial needles are temporarily out of action, after having drawn t eir initiation s, will extend as bars V own in Fig. 19, and thusiclose the eyelet holes;

In' the'machine shown in- Fig; 1 the needle cylinder, dial, and web holder ring are stationary, and the various cam rings have 170- tating or reciprocating movement impu rted to them, but it will'be evident that a reverse construction can-be adopted without departing from the essential features of my .invention, and in Figs. 17am! 18 I have illustrated such a modification along with other modifications of my invention. In the machine shown in these figures of the drawing, 1 represents the movable needle cylinder, which carries thedial 4". and to the latter is secured the web holder ring 12, the cylinder cam ri 3" and dial cam ring W'lneing. fixedly secured to the bed or other immovable member of themarhine, and thewveb many of these cams 74 and eir upper butts the needles to action,

. of the dial web holderring 12', and controlled by means of a dog 15 projecting between lugs 17" on the saidcam ring 14','so that the latter can only have such movement as is necessary in order to properly time the action of the web holders in respect to the needles, in recipr0- catingor toand-fro knitting, as usual. In this machine, also, the dial needles are put into and out of action in a manner different from that represented in Fig. 1. Each dial needle 5" has two butts and 71, the upper butt 70 b'ing adapted to be acted upon by the knitting cums 72 and 73, and the lower butt 71 being under control of lower cams 74 and 75 on the cam ring 6.

75 as there are sets or groups of needles in the dial, the jacks 18 of each group a different length from those of the other groups, whereby the butts 71 are indifferent planes, one below another, and the sets of of needles being of cams 74 and 75 are in like difi'erent planes,

in order. that each set of such cams will act only u on its selected group of needles. The

cams 4 are liftin'g cams and the cams'75 are de ressing cams, and each of them is .ivote or otherwise mounted, so that it can e readily movedinto or out of'operative position. r

Normally, that'is to say when the dial needles are all out of action, the cams 74 and 75 are all in the position shown by full lines in Fig. 18, but when it becomes necessary to put a group of dial needles into acis raised as shown by dotted lines, thereby acting upon thelower butts 71 of the corresponding needles to raise the same and bring t 70 into range of the knitting earns 72 and 73, thereby forming upon these needles theinitial loops of the widening wales. As soon as all of the group of needles. have been thus raised, however, the cam 7'4 is restored to inoperative position, whereby the needles, put out of action by the depressing cam 75, can remain out of action durin the formation of the barring courses by he cylinder needles, both cams 74 and 75 being then raised to the positions shown by dotted lines, in order to restore and permit them to remain in action, one group of needles after another being thus acted upon until all of the widcnin needles have been rendered operative. :1 order to put the widening needles out of action again, both rams 74 and 75- of each set are lowered to the positions shown by full lines, and permitted to remain in such position until another widening operation has to be performed.

Fig. 1c

needles-when the latter-are out of action, and also shows by, .dotted lines the position assumed by the when the 100 'tion, the cam 74 corresponding to said group illustrates in full lines the butts I needles are bein put into action. In this machine, as in 51c machine 01 Fig. the dial cam ring will be equipped with a lilting cam and a depressing cam 66, independent of the knitting cams, and located at a point so remote therefrom that the dial needles can be raised en de ressed without engaging the newyarn, an can therefore cast the stitches therefrom reparatory to being put out 'of action the lifting cam (35 being movable into an "out of operative position so as to have no effect upon the ial;n .dlcs cxce it immediatel Iliefore the retirnierE of t e same. Rib ing needles may,j'fiE' desired, be combined with either of-themachines which I have described, and the machines will, of course, be provided with devices under'control of a patternwheel or chain for operating the variousfcams and the rings 23, and with take-up 'ttiechanism, latch openers, and other appurtenances common to ordinary knitting machines. 1

As an instance of means which may be used to o crate the :rin segments 23 I may refer to igs. 25 and 26, in which each of -the ring segments is shown as ivotally hung to one arm of a lever 100, 0 other arm of which pro'ectsover a pattern drum 101 havin a suita le raised lug 102 for; each lever. Wlien the lever arm rests fl-POI) the drum the ring segment hun raised and the needles contro led thereby are out of action, but when the lever arm is raised by its corresponding lug 102 on the drum the ring se ment is owered and the needles 5 control action. I

It will be, manifest that many changes in the structural character of the machine may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential features of my; for instance I have thus far de-' invention, scribed in invention as applied to a machine havmg latch needles in both cylinder and dial, but so far as the main features of my invention are concerned the characfor of the needles is immaterial. as both or either of the .sets of needles may be spring beard needles, if desired, and m Fi s. 21, 22 and 23 I have shown'the essentia parts of three inachines using such needles, the machine of Fig. 21 having spring beard needles 2 in the cylinderand like needles 5 in the dial, the machine of Eig. 22 having spring ,beard needles2" in the linder and latch needles 5 in the dial and ie ma.- chine of Fig. 23 having spring beard needles 5 .in the dial-and latc needles-2 in the cyl inder. In the machines illustrated the web. holders are disposed in a ring 12" on the inner side of the c linder and are operated by cams in a ring 4'3, and may be put into and out of action by means similar tothosc employed for operatin' the web'hoLders-in 5 the other machines sl own thereto is ed thereby are into A resser ring 90 isemployed in connection with the spring beard need es of thecylinder for the purpose of closing the beards of said needles after the new yarn has passed under 'sinkers 91, carried by a ring 92 and operate by cams in a ring 93 for sinking the loops between the-cylinder needles, these loops m the case of the machine having spring beard needles in the dial 1 in'g on said dial needles so fardn advance 0 the old loo '5 orstitches on the latter that time is after edfby'means of a presser wheel or cam 94, after the ends of the beards have passed over the new yarn and before they reach the old stitches. It is referable to employ two sets of these sin rers 01, each set operated by its own r0- jecting cam, in order that the sinkers w iich operate between cylinder and dial needles maybe proilected iarther andform longer loops than t ose which operate between cylinder needles only, the projecting cam, which 0 crates such long-throw sinkers, being slac ed oii' when the dial needles-areretired so that it then forms loops of the same length as the other sinkers? In the machines shown in Figs. 21 and 22, one set of sinkers has low butts actuated b a fixed cam 96, arid the other set hasi higli butts operated-by a swinging or other'ad; justable cam' 7. In the machine of Fig. 23, however, only one set of sinl'cers is used, these sinkers beln actuated by an adjustable cam 98,-whic can be retracted so as to: retire the sinkers when the dial needles are removed from action,-and the latch needles of the cylinder are the only needles in operation.

Of. course, a machine havin its dial e uipped with spring beard nee Ice is not needles at an acute angle, when the dial is equipped with sprin beard needles, insures a greater distance be ween the new yarn and the 01d stitch thannf the needles were at ht angles to ens another, and hence proes ample timgif after it,has [1 sm the new yarn-and before 11; reaches the .oldstitch.

Ielaim:--"

1, circular knittin machine having, in comb nation, a cylin er of. yarn guide, means for actuating 'the of thenedlesotone set, and serving to r the closing of the beard and dial, each with a set of needles, those of onedisposed at an acute angle inres ect to those. of the other set, and both sets 'ajwmg stitches tp'the same face of the web,

iao

move the latterinto and on! of control of said knitting devices.

2. A circular knitting machine having. in combination a cylinder and equipped. with a set of needles, tho.--e f one set. being disposed at an acute angle urespect to those of the other set. and both sets drawnig stitches to the mine face of the web, a yarn guide, means for actuating the needles to cause them. to knit, a series of groups'of levers, each controlling certain of the needles of one set to move them into and out of control of said knitting devices, and a plurality of rings each adapted to operate one of the groups of levers.

3. A circular knittin machine having, in

combination, a cylin er and dial, each equi iped with a set of needles, those of one set seing disposed at an acute angle-in respect to those of the other set, a yarn gu1de,.means for actuating the needles to cause them-to knit, and means for operating needles of one sct'to lace them under. or out of control of said 'nitting devices, said operating means havinggas an element, a ring composed of independentlv operable segmentsmovable in the'saipe direction as the parts upon which they act.

4. A circular knittin machine having, in combination, a. cylin er' and .dial, each equi ped with a set of needles, thoseof one set eing disposed at an acute angle in respect to those of the otherset, a yarn guide, means for operating the needles to cause them to' knit, and means whereby groups of needles of one set are operated to place them under or out of control of said knitting devices, said operating means having, as elements, needle controlling levers and a plurality of rings, each constructed to operate certain of the levers and to permit.

. passage of the other levers withoutoperatmg them. I

5. A circular knitting machine having in combination a ,cylinder and dial, each equipped with a set of needles, those ct one set being disposed at an acute angle in respect to those of the other, set. and both sets drawing stitches to the same face of the web, a yarn guide, cams for actuating the needles to cause them to knit, and means for operating the needles of one set to them under or out of control of their mitting cams, said means comprisin" a ring or ring segment having slots, some s lallow and some deep, for the reception of the elements upon which the ringsael, and means for moving the rings to cause them to act upon said elements.

6. A c rcular knitting maehlnc having in combination a cylinder and dial. each equipped with a set of needles, those of one set hcin disposed at an acute angle in respect to 't iose of the otherset and both sets drawing stitches to the same face of the in com bination,

lace

l l l dial. mach i V ling cums. said Inca-us comprising a ring or web, a yarnjgnide, cams for actuating the needles to cause them to knit, and means for operating the needles of one set to place them under or out of control of their knitriog segment divided longitndinalli and having. in each of its meeting faces, slots some shallow and some deep, whereby openings oi different depths are formed for the reception of the elements upon which the rings act, and means formoving lherings to cause them to act; upon such elements.

7. A. circular knitting machine having, in combination, a cylinder .and dial, each equipped with a set of needles, those of Hit set being disposed at an acute angle in respect to those. of the other set, and both' sets drawing stitches to the same face of the web, and means for knitting upon said needles to produce a shaped, seamless, tubular web, the needle-:wtnating devices being so disposed that the wide web needles act as the primary stitch-forming members of the machine.

8. A circular knitting machine having, in

combination, a cylinder and dial, each equipped with a set of needles, those of cor set being disposedat an acute angle in. respect to thosc'of the other set and both sclsdvawing stitches to the same face of the web, and means for knitting upon said needles to produce a shaped, seamless, tubular web, said knitting devices having a. retracting cam for the wide web needles in advance of th'c retracting cam for the narrow web needles, and combined with a following lift cam, whereby the wideweb needles act as the primary stitch-forming members of the machine, draw abnormally long stitches and afterward slacken the same.

9. A circular knitting machine having, in combination, a cylinder and dial. each equipped with a set of needles and both sets drawing stitches to the same face of the fabric, and web holders cot perating with needles of one set, and susceptible of being,

ing the latter into and out of action, and means for moving the web into position forengagement of the web holders therewith.

12. A circular knittlng machine having, a grooved needle carrier,

needles operating in said grooves, means for knittin upon the needles, web holders operating a ove the partitions between the needle grooves, and means for moving said web j o'lders into and out of said operative position, whereby the knocking over of the stitches upon the needles is sometimes cffected by the web holders and at other times by the tops of said partitions.-

13. A circular knitting machine having, in combination, a cylinder and a dial each equipped with a set of needles, those of one i set being disposed at an acute angle in respect to those of 'theother set, and means for knitting upon said needles to produce shaped, seamless, tubular web the means for constructed to impart to the latter a quiet latch-closing movement and a quick knocking-over movement with intervening pause.

15. A circular knitting machine having a cylinder provided with needlesQand a dial likewise provided with needles disposed to draw stitches to the same face of the fabric as the cylinder needles and occupying an acute angle in respect thereto. said cylinder having grooves with intervening partitions whose upper corners are beveled or rounded;

16. A circular knitting machine havin a cylinder provided with needles, means or knitting upon said needles to produce either a continuous tube or seamless heel and toe pockets, a dial provided with needles diss posed to draw stitches to the same face of the fabric as the cylinder needles and occupying an acute'angle in respectthereto, means for knittinglupon said dial needles inconjunction with t e cylinder needles, means for arrestin such knitting operation axon the dial needles at intervals, and'web hol ers operating in conjunction with cylinder needles, and susceptible of being retired from, action. a

17. A circular knittin machine in which are combined narrow we web needles disposed at an acute angle in respect to one another and both drawin stitches to the same face of the web, an

means for acting upon said needles, the re tracting cam for the wide web needles being in advance of the retracting camtor the nar; row web needles, whereby the arnfor; the stitches on the wide web need es is drawn: against the inner sides of'the latches or books of the narrow web needles. 3

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing \vltnosse ",ROBERT \V. SCOTT. \Vitnesses: I

HAMILTON D. 'lmma'n, KA'rE'A. BEADLE.

as needles and -wide- 

